Tomb Raider: Evolution of the Red Dragon, Starting from the Ancient City of Jingjue

After a while, Jiang Hua and Qin Feng arrived at the depths of the underground palace. There was an iron gate there, which looked very old and covered with dust.

However, it appeared to be incredibly sturdy. When Jiang Hua slashed down with his sword, it only managed to remove a wisp of black dust, without damaging it at all, clearly indicating its exceptional durability.

Jiang Hua frowned, thinking to himself that the things here were indeed extraordinary, even the iron gate was so sturdy.

"It seems there are many treasures hidden inside this iron gate, but I wonder if they are all inside?"

"Never mind, let's test the waters first. If it's not there, then forget about it."

Thinking of this, Jiang Hua no longer hesitated. He flicked his longsword, and a purple arc of electricity flew out from it. The next moment, the purple arc of electricity transformed into an electric net, enveloping the iron gate.

The sturdiness of this iron gate is indeed quite surprising.

However, the stronger the iron gate, the more precious the things hidden inside are!
As Jiang Hua silently chanted in his heart, he immediately began to swing his long sword. Layers of purple arcs of electricity burst forth from his sword, slashing continuously at the iron gate.

Then the iron gate was finally cut open, creating a gap large enough for a person to pass through.

Jiang Hua then stepped through the iron gate.

It was pitch black inside, so Jiang Hua lit a tinderbox, which immediately illuminated the iron gate.

What came into view was a spacious hall. The walls of the hall were all made of stone slabs, and these stone slabs all had a dark black color. A smell of decay emanated from the stone slabs.

Inside this hall, there were huge stone beds filled with all kinds of jade bottles and some porcelain. The porcelain bottles were mostly filled with medicinal herbs.

These medicinal herbs are all multicolored, making them look very vibrant and colorful.

In the center of this vast hall stands a huge jade platform, upon which are placed numerous medicine cauldrons. These cauldrons are all crafted from wood, appearing ancient and sturdy, clearly antique items.

Below the jade platform, there were rows of shelves with many boxes on them.

In the very center of this hall, there is a fist-sized luminous pearl embedded in the wall, emitting a soft white light.

Above the jade platform was a stone table with bowls and plates on it. The bowls and plates contained a dark liquid that emitted a strong, foul odor. Jiang Hua didn't need to guess; this was definitely the blood left behind by the monster in the hall.

At the four corners of this jade platform, there are many bronze bells hanging, and on the bronze bells are small knives. These knives are all daggers, and their blades are all jet black and shiny, and extremely sharp.

"These things are probably what the monsters in this underground palace like the most."

Upon seeing these knives, Jiang Hua couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The monsters here are indeed all brutes, and their need for weapons is extremely strong. However, these knives look quite ordinary.

There was nothing special about them; Jiang Hua could tell at a glance that these knives weren't valuable, but they could still fetch a good price.

Without hesitation, Jiang Hua moved swiftly and arrived in front of Xiao Dao.

Jiang Hua reached out and picked up a small knife, then turned it over in his hand, examining it carefully.

On the back of the knife, a pattern is engraved. This pattern presents a series of black snake-like designs, which look lifelike, as if they have come to life.

"What the heck are these snake-shaped patterns?"

"Could there be a dragon in here?"

"No, there are no dragons here at all. These snake-like patterns look like the crawling of insects. Could they be earthworms?" Jiang Hua looked at these patterns and suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Earthworms are the creatures here, but these earthworms don't look like earthworms or snakes. Instead, they look like lizards, covered in tentacles.

Its eyes were filled with venomous fangs, making it look ferocious and terrifying.

These serpentine patterns are the same patterns found on earthworms. After recalling information about earthworms in his mind, Jiang Hua couldn't help but wonder if the monsters in this underground palace might also have some connection to earthworms.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Hua handed the small knife in his hand to Qin Feng.

"Senior Brother Qin, take this knife and take a look. Is the snake pattern on it an earthworm? If it is an earthworm, we'll catch it and see if it is an earthworm."

Upon hearing Jiang Hua's words, Qin Feng was taken aback. He then took the knife and examined it carefully before his expression hardened slightly.

"It certainly doesn't look like an earthworm. The snake pattern on this knife should be earthworm scales. These scales are all made of metal and have a cold, metallic feel to them."

It looks incredibly hard. The texture of these scales should be high-quality iron ore, and the materials inside should also be made entirely of high-quality metals.

Moreover, it has undergone special processing. These iron ores must have been purified in a special way somewhere to be made into this material.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to forge such a hard material, and the method for forging such a material must be extremely advanced, right?

Qin Feng carefully examined the small knife in his hand, and then spoke.

Upon hearing Qin Feng's analysis, Jiang Hua nodded and then said, "That's right, all of these materials are top-grade metals."

I suspect the monsters here are earthworms, because I noticed earlier that each of their scales has snake-like patterns on it.

I suspect that they are very likely the earthworms from this underground palace.

"Oh?"

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow slightly, then looked at the monster corpses and asked, "What do we do now?"

"Now that we've found this place, let's follow the clues to find them. Anyway, there must be other things in here."

Jiang Hua then said.

Just as they were talking, the tinder in their hands suddenly went out, plunging everything into darkness.

"Ok?"

"what happened?"

"Why did it suddenly go dark?"

The two tried to light the tinderbox but couldn't. Jiang Hua's heart sank, and he said, "It seems we've encountered something evil."

Upon hearing Jiang Hua's words, Qin Feng's expression instantly changed. Although he wasn't as skilled as Jiang Hua, his eyesight was still quite good, and there was nothing there at all.

He refused to believe it and reached his hand into the darkness. Then, his body was sucked in by a strange force, and his whole body was firmly nailed to the spot as if it had been nailed.

Qin Feng was terrified and tried to break free, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't move an inch. (End of Chapter)